Mastermind

Mastermind

MASTERMIND

by Nathan Johnson

Napoleon Hill said, “No mind is complete by itself. It needs contact and association with other minds to grow and expand.” The proper use of a mastermind group is the cornerstone to all great achievement, and it is one of the steps that people most often overlook. On our own, we can only ever have a limited amount of experience, a mastermind group allows us to draw freely from the experience, training, skills, and knowledge of others who align with our definite major purpose. The resulting benefits include a magnification of the combined qualities of each member, as well as increased courage, faith, and a host of other positive advantages. In other words, on your own, you’re a single brushstroke, but in a mastermind group you could become a Monet.

The first thing you need to do to put the power of the mastermind to work is create one! The moment you outline your definite major purpose, it will immediately be clear the sort of person, or people, who would be most appropriate in aiding in the attainment of that goal. By aligning with someone who possesses the knowledge and experience you lack, along with the qualities of dependability, loyalty, and positive mental attitude, you will find a partner who will help to see your mission through to completion. A partnership with the appropriate individual(s) is essential, and with regular meetings and maintained harmony, your mastermind will tap into a collective power far greater than the number of its individual members. In 2008 I was put in contact with a direct to customer skincare and make-up company that was looking to expand their brand. They wanted to form ties with a reputable person in the beauty industry, and I was looking to partner with a company that would allow me to further my purpose of education and utilization of beauty as a tool for improving self-esteem and confidence. The company owner combined her experience and large base of representatives with my reputation and in depth industry knowledge, and together we planned a series of major training/recruiting/selling events along the California coast. Over the course of a month, we sold over $1,000,000 in product and recruited an all time high number of new representatives. This is a feat neither one of us had ever done on our own, and it was possible only because of the power of our combined experience, knowledge, training, and expertise. The accomplishment of $1,000,000 in one month has been dwarfed by millions more in reorders—all because she and I combined in a mastermind.

Everyone can and should immediately form a mastermind with a family member. This alliance with a spouse, or another close member of the family, is an essential support system, both on a regular ongoing basis and particularly during difficult times. Harmony in this relationship—like all masterminds— is essential. This relationship, when properly cultivated creates a dynamic where the loved one will support and aid in the attainment of your goal. This relationship will allow you to recharge, regroup and reconsider at times when you otherwise might be tempted to quit. I have been fortunate to have a mastermind alliance with my mother. For the majority of my life, everyone always made fun of my desire to go after artistic endeavors. They encouraged me to make, what they called, sensible choices. They wanted me to take paths that would lead toward what they defined as success; the path with regular raises, a pension, paid vacations, insurance and the same routine each and every day. That was not my path, work of that nature never sang to my heart and my mother always knew that. She told me to trust myself and always follow my path. She and I have spoken nearly everyday of my life—despite sometimes being half a world apart. When I have had decisions to make, she has listened and supported me, believing fully in whatever I was setting out to accomplish at the time. Her belief and support carried me through some of my most trying times—times when I was ready to (and once nearly did) quit. At one point in my life, I was staying in a job that no longer aligned with my purpose. In fact, I stayed in it over a year longer than I should have. My father and other logical people were pressuring me to stay, glad that I was working a schedule they could understand and relate to. My mother stood by me and encouraged me to follow my heart and stand by my mission. Immediately upon leaving that job, doors of opportunity flung open to me and all of them were in line with my definite major purpose. My mother’s undying faith and belief in me has played a major part in all of my accomplishments. I have always succeeded beyond expectation and I credit much of it to her support.

A pivotal way to utilize the mastermind is by forming one with yourself. Setting a definite major purpose will really do most of this for you, but it never hurts to make it a goal to keep yourself in harmony, to make sure you are pulling your own weight toward the achievement of your goal, and to stay clear of the pitfalls that might cause most others to quit. There are many ways that this can be done, but some of the most powerful are self-management, continuous action, and education. By playing the role of your own manager, you can monitor your attitude and your thoughts, you can set a whole new standard for yourself and a whole host of other benefits. With continuous action, you can set a schedule for yourself, one that requires you to take a step toward your goal each and every day. And, perhaps the most powerful, you can prepare yourself to be a stronger member of a mastermind by increasing and improving upon your knowledge. No knowledge is ever a waste. Not everything you learn will always directly influence your DMP but it will have the benefit of expanding your mind. When we learn, we always grow because new knowledge causes a change in our worldview. And sometimes what you learn will lignite a fire in you that open a whole new world of possibility. My dear friend Thom had a lifelong desire to design and sell t-shirts. The problem was, he had no a graphic design knowledge and no experience at all in the fashion industry. He read Think and Grow Rich and with the help of a small notebook began holding himself accountable to learning and following the principles. Within a week, he had a DMP and had formed a mastermind with himself, and soon after with me. In under a month, by managing his mind, educating himself on design and manufacturing, and by taking steps toward achievement everyday, he was already receiving a profit of over $100 each week. Not bad for the first month in a job he is passionate about and does entirely in his spare time. 6 months later, he was profiting over $1000 a month.

I would be lax if I didn’t mention the importance of forming a mastermind with Infinite Intelligence. People are in the habit of praying when times are desperate. If instead you make a habit of praying with gratitude everyday, you will have an open door to the infinite powers of the Intelligence that governs all of nature. When you take the a power that big on your side, it is difficult to fail. The smartest bit of advice I could offer is to consider everyone you meet a potential mastermind partner. When you work toward harmony with everyone, they all turn into allies for you and your goal. If you have a product or service to sell, these people who like you will be your clients, free advertisement, and possibly even your employees or business partners. There are countless ways people can apply and receive benefit from the mastermind principle. But it all starts with having a definite major purpose and actively choosing to align yourself with people who can help with the cause.

Notes

Napoleon Hill said, “No mind is complete by itself. It needs contact and association with other minds to grow and expand.” The proper use of a mastermind group is the cornerstone to all great achievement, and it is one of the steps that people most often overlook. On our own, we can only ever have a limited amount of experience, a mastermind group allows us to draw freely from the experience, training, skills, and knowledge of others who align with our definite major purpose. The resulting benefits include a magnification of the combined qualities of each member, as well as increased courage, faith, and a host of other positive advantages. In other words, on your own, you’re a single brushstroke, but in a mastermind group you could become a Monet….